Would you climb Everest ?

vale

no. too cold, too snow. too knackering.
but would consider being air-dropped (gently) onto the peak & picked up as soon as i had thoroughly taken in the view. i just don't think the view is worth risking my life or sanity for.

ThePrettyDamned

RaymondLin said:

No.

Sure it an experience, it's a challenge and its a bucket list and bragging rights but weighting it up against living for another 40, 50 years vs bragging rights.  I choose living.

I have looked out of the window from 30,000ft, it's nice, even nicer holding a cup of tea, eating a pudding in the warmth.

strumjoughlamps said:

ive heard 4G is crap up there, so for that reason I am out  

These guys nailed it. 

That said, in an effort to improve my fatness(or is that fitness?) I'm going to start using a climbing wall in Cambridge with a view to trying some rock climbing or bouldering...But I'll start with the lake District i think

p90fool

I think the administration of climbing routes and tourism on Everest should be taken over by the Welsh.

We'd have a railway station and a tawdry gift shop up there in no time.

Gassage

When I retired from rugby I became utterly rapt by the Cuillins on Skye (my parents lived there).

I have done all 19 peaks and the Great Traverse in winter conditions (not including Blaven and Clach Glas as not enough light to get there but I have done those two many times).

@hertz32 FYI, the TD Gap was filled with snow which was a fairly handy arrangement as I'm not capable of an E4, which it is (with an overhanging boulder issue). So we roped alpine style and ran over it. The rest of the Cuillin is not technically difficult (even the InPin can be top roped and you can be hauled up!)

During that time, I researched Everest to a ridiculous level.

Yes, if fit enough I'd do it (I'm not fit enough and never will be anymore) but I'd want to do the Mallory route as it's a lot safer if you have the skills and can negotiate the 2nd Step (mainly due to not having to traverse the icefall fields that lead to the bottom of the Hillary route which is said to be the single most dangerous portion but also due to not having to deal with traffic on the Step)

As an aside, which musician holds the world record for the highest ever commercial gig? And yes, it was on Everest.

guitars4you

Gassage said:

As an aside, which musician holds the world record for the highest ever commercial gig? And yes, it was on Everest.

I don't know who it was but surely a set list would include
Kate Bush - running up the hill
Carpenters - On top of the world
Jackie Wilson - Higher and Higher
River deep mountain high by Ike and Tina turner

snakemanStoo

guitars4you said:

Gassage said:

As an aside, which musician holds the world record for the highest ever commercial gig? And yes, it was on Everest.

I don't know who it was but surely a set list would include
Kate Bush - running up the hill
Carpenters - On top of the world
Jackie Wilson - Higher and Higher
River deep mountain high by Ike and Tina turner

Eight miles high - The Byrds

HAL9000

Gassage said:

As an aside, which musician holds the world record for the highest ever commercial gig? And yes, it was on Everest.

Don't know, but wouldn't fancy being their roadie.

Teetonetal

I'd rather climb Annapurna or the Matterhorn, but yes I'd love to climb Everest. Been fascinated by mountains all my life and for a couple of years I was seriously researching a climb of Annapurna, just physically never thought I'd be able to do it. Financially pretty damned sure I couldn't. Also decided being dragged up by a guide is not what it's about.

Then I read the climb by Anatoli Boukreev. Put me off.

thomasross20

Bucket said:

Nah mate, fuck that

Exactly my sentiments!

thomasross20

If somebody off here wants a whip round to do it, I'm in lol

jellyroll

Bear Grylls did it....WITHOUT a TV crew...

Cirrus

jellyroll said:

Bear Grylls did it....WITHOUT a TV crew...

crunchman

Winny_Pooh said:

The only point would be for ego or to prove something to yourself, both of which are pointless ultimately as there is no accomplishment in such a climb anymore. I'd personally do Kilimanjaro, it's more beautiful with some unearthly landscape around it, rather than an ice peak in the middle of ice peaks. 

I did Kili in 2013.  Even there, there were problems with altitude.  Only 6 of our party of 10 actually made it to the summit, and one of the people who did make it was told to stop by the guides and went on anyway.  He ended up going down the mountain on one of these:



I'd say 3 of the 4 who didn't make it up were as much physical fitness as altitude.  The 4th guy was very fit, but the altitude got to him.  He just went doolally and started talking gibberish.

A couple of guys in my group had done Everest Base camp.  It's a similar altitude but sounds a lot harder - if nothing else because it's a lot colder.  It's also a lot longer.  I think they said Everest Base Camp was 13 days up and down.  On Kili we were on the mountain for 6 days.  With Kili being close to the equator, it gets to decent temperatures during the day.  It can get to -20C at night at the top, but Everest Base Camp is apparently very cold all the time and you don't get the respite during the day.

I wouldn't mind doing Kili again.  If nothing else it would give me an incentive to get fit again, but I have no desire to do Everest.  Seeing the effects of altitude on Kili, and shuffling up to the summit at the pace of a 90 year old because of the lack of oxygen definitely wouldn't make me want to go 8,000 feet higher.

cacophony

went to the top of mt whistler in the rockies, that was high enough for me, mind you we did it in a cable car, noticed the difference in oxygen levels even at that height. still had a couple of beers up there though, it goes straight to your head at that height, which may account for why i thought it a good idea to buy a davy crockett hat from the giftshop.

Gassage

The highest gig ever?

Mr Glenn Tilbrook and his mates - Everest Rocks 2009...

guitars4you

I recall a cable car trip to near the top of a Mont in France when Skiing - can't recall the name - Got out of the cable car and felt light headed and sick within minutes - was it altitude sickness or to many beers the night before

Garthy

Teetonetal said:

I'd rather climb Annapurna or the Matterhorn, but yes I'd love to climb Everest. Been fascinated by mountains all my life and for a couple of years I was seriously researching a climb of Annapurna, just physically never thought I'd be able to do it. Financially pretty damned sure I couldn't. Also decided being dragged up by a guide is not what it's about.

Then I read the climb by Anatoli Boukreev. Put me off.

Is The Climb any good?

there is a book about the 2008 K2 serac collapse that is very good and rather tragic too.

holnrew

Only to throw myself off the top

guitars4you

Gassage said:

The highest gig ever?

Mr Glenn Tilbrook and his mates - Everest Rocks 2009...

that looks a tight Squeeze on there - and far to cool for cats up there

Limehouse_Blues

Teetonetal said:

I'd rather climb Annapurna or the Matterhorn, but yes I'd love to climb Everest. Been fascinated by mountains all my life and for a couple of years I was seriously researching a climb of Annapurna, just physically never thought I'd be able to do it. Financially pretty damned sure I couldn't. Also decided being dragged up by a guide is not what it's about.

Then I read the climb by Anatoli Boukreev. Put me off.

Statistically i think Annapurna's an even more dangerous proposition than Everest (something like 40% of attempts fatal). I've done a bit of winter mountaineering in Scotland (including Tower Ridge in winter) and a couple of easier summer routes in the Alps. I'd love to see the Himalaya one day but if I ever climb anything there it would be below or around 6000m and it's not something I'd even think about until I had dozens of harder alpine routes under my belt. Everest really holds no appeal though. If I could choose between all the famous grandes courses in the Alps and the fourteen 8000ers I'd take those Alpine classics every day.

One thing I don't get with high altitude mountaineering is the philosophical aversion to oxygen among some climbers. Meissner was rightly lauded for his achievement but eschewing oxygen at the same time as wearing crampons and clothing oneself in the most modern fabrics available is not exactly logically consistent.

i'm happy to read tales of others' exploits at high altitude though. The Boardman Tasker omnibus is essential reading. Last summer I met Sandy Allan in a hut in Switzerland. His ascent of Nanga Parbat by the Mozeno ridge won him the Piolet d'Or. His book on the climb is terrifying and well worth a read. Very genial and unassuming bloke but among the toughest of the tough.

All the greatest Himalayan exploits and successes involve levels of pain and suffering that I've no desire to experience.